ISLAMABAD: An exhibition of Noor Ali Chagani’s recent works, The Space Within, opened at the Tanzara Gallery.

The show featured sculpture, painting and installation dealing with issues of home and belonging as he makes miniaturised terracotta bricks - the building blocks for his art.

An unusual collection of miniature structures paid tribute to Chagani’s academic training as he completed a BCS (Honours) from Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology before studying miniature painting at the National College of Arts.

He successfully combines the high art of delicate miniature traditions passed down from the royal Mughal and Persian courts, with the art of ceramics and techniques of brickmaking craftsmen, equally centuries old.

Explaining the choice of the brick as the central motif and building block, Chagani says, “I think the linearity in my work, the geometry and the cubicle shape of it comes from my engineering side. The transformation of a brick wall into a woven carpet of bricks is an excellent example of the engineer’s influence in work”.

The same influence is apparent in the woven brick dress that is part of the exhibition which demonstrates the softness and malleability of what is a hard unit of construction.

Weaving bricks is a more recent venture that Chagani began during his Jameel Prize Residency at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2016.

The bricks, however, been central to his work as he fires his own bricks, builds tiny structures – walls, pillars, windows, amongst others – and then paints tiny images from the streets onto selected bricks.

Interestingly, the influence of Lahore architecture comes through strongly in Chagani’s work as he uses predominantly red bricks to create his sculptures.

Chagani’s works explore questions of identity and represent his longing for stability in a sound house, as the brick is repeated as a unit of strength, power and support.

Each brick in Chagani’s structures is handcrafted, unique and struggling to retain its identity while being part of a greater whole with numerous others that are similar but not identical.

Chagani explains, “My work revolves around the idea of home and a dwelling place which is considered the great responsibility of a man in the subcontinent as he is the one who is a weight-bearer of the needs of a family.

“A man works as an integral part of maintaining a family unit within the social values.

“The incident which triggered my thoughts was a shift from Karachi to Lahore where the architecture was horizontal and very different from Karachi’s vertical living structures. On the way back from college I used to observe the boundary walls of the empty plots with colourful graffiti which was a very eye-catching way of showing power and possession. These walls were inspiring visually and conceptually.”

The choice of bricks is particularly evocative as people strive to build homes and spend their lives in that quest.

The artist says: “My earlier work primarily focused on the quest for a shelter evolving into a statement about society and culture. I do have that dialogue in my work – the constant struggle for shelter is so deep-rooted in our society that people spend their entire lives running behind these value-less values.”

Mobina Zuberi, artist and art collector, said: “I loved the work. It appeals to the soul; the street has come into your home in a miniaturised form. It tugs at my heart.”

Usama Bin Murad said: “The miniaturist theme of encompassing obvious but unknown background to the untrained eye from everyday life. Brilliant work!”

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2019